Apparatus for providing delay of an electrical signal

ABSTRACT

In audio signal delaying apparatus including a vibration transmission coil spring, an electro-mechanical driver means provided in the vicinity of one end of the spring, and a mechanoelectrical pickup means for detecting a signal from the motion of the spring driver due to an input signal through the driver means, the improvement comprises a vibratile motion terminating means provided between the other end of the spring and the pickup means so as to prevent a reflection of vibration at the other end of the spring, said pickup means being movable along the length of the spring, and said coil spring being magnetized. The arrangement can improve the frequency characteristics of the detected signal and enables the provision of an output signal having any delay time.

United States Patent [191 Suzuki 1 APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING DELAY OF [73]Assignee: Nippon ,Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha, Shizuoka-ken, Japan [22]Filed: Sept. 29, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 76,358

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 9 Sept. 30, 1969 Japan 44/93334Sept. 30, 1969 Japan 44/93335 Sept. 30, 1969 Japan 44/93336 Sept.30,1969 Japan 44/93337 Oct. 25, 1969 Japan 44/101374 Oct 3-1, 1969 Japan44/103493 Oct. 31, 1969 Japan..... 44/103494 Oct. 31, 1969 Japan44/103495 Oct. 31, 1969 Japan 44/103496 Oct. 31, 1969 Japan 44/103497[52] US. Cl. 179/1 J, 84/1.24

[51] Int. Cl. GlOh l/02 [58] Field of Search 179/1 J; 84/124, 84/126,1.13, 1.14, 1.16; 333/30, 71; 332/2, 26, 5

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,089,171 8/1937 Beauchamp84/1.15 3,199,053 8/1965 Bunger 179/1 J 3,159,713 12/1964 Laube 179/1 J3,136,853 6/1964 Bissonette 179/1 J MDRIVE my AMP 11] 3,761,629 [451Sept. 25, 1973 3,472,943 10/1969 Kawabata 84/116 2,493,638 1/1950 Olson179/1 J 2,437,445 3/1948 Stack 179/1 .1 3,436,482 5/1969 Piess 179/1 J3,267,198 8/1966 Hurvitz... 34/124 3,463,868 8/1969 Laube 84/1243,069,956 12/1962 Bode 84/124 3,391,250 7/1968 1(1aiber.... 179/1 J2,026,841 l/l936 Lesti 84/].15 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,176,1452/1967 Great Britain 84/1.16

716,055 1/1953 Great Britain 179/1 J Primary Examiner-Kathleen H. ClaffyAssistant Examiner-Jon Bradford Leaheey Att0rney-Cushman, Darby &Cushman [5 7] ABSTRACT In audio signal delaying apparatus including avibration transmission coil spring, an electro-mechanical driver meansprovided in the vicinity of one end of the spring, and amechano-electrical pickup means for detecting a signal from the motionof the spring driver due to an input signal through the driver means,the improvement comprises a vibratile motion terminating means providedbetween the other end of the spring and the pickup means so as toprevent a reflection of vibration at the other end of the spring, saidpickup means being movable along the length of the spring, and said coilspring being magnetized. The arrangement can improve the frequencycharacteristics of the detected signal and enables the provision of anoutput signal having any delay time.

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APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING DELAY OF AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to anapparatus for providing delay of an electrical signal, and moreparticularly to an improvement in an electro-mechanical signal delayapparatus.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the prior art apparatus of this type,there has been proposed a signal delaying apparatus which comprises anelectro-mechanical converter for converting an input electrical signalto a mechanical vibration at its input side, a mechano-electricalconverter for converting the mechanical vibration to an electricalsignal, a coil spring arranged between both the converters forpropagating the generated vibration thereon, said both ends of the coilspring being connected to respective magnets of the converters mountedon support plates through support wires, whereby the magnet of theelectromechanical converter causes a rotational vibration with an audiosignal applied to the input converter, and the other magnet detects therotational vibration propagated on the spring into an electrical signal.In such a delaying apparatus, however, a wave propagating the convertedvibration is reflected at the termination of the spring and thereflected wave causes an interference with the forward wave, with aresult that there occur remarkable variations in the frequencycharacteristics of the output signal detected by the mechanoelectricalconverter. Also,-the apparatus is disadvantageous in that, since thedelay time of the signal thus obtained has been made constant with thelength of the coil spring, no output signal having any delay time can beproduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the principal object of the presentinvention is to provide an improved signal delaying apparatus utilizinga mechanical vibration and capable of easily providing an electricalsignal which is arbitrarily delayed in time as desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel signal delayingapparatus in which a delayed signal having good frequency charactersticswithout distortion can be obtained.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel signal delayingapparatus which is simple in constitution, easy to manufacture, and lowin manufacturing cost.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel signaldelaying apparatus capable of producing a frequency modulated signalfrom a non-modulated input signal in addition to delaying the latter.

Other object, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following description of preferred embodimentswhen taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view illustrating theconstruction of an embodiment of an apparatus for providing delay of anelectrical signal according to the present invention;

FIGS. 2a, 2b and FIGS. 20, 2e (a modification) are views of sectionstaken along lines IIA-IIA, IIB-IIB and IIC-IIC shown in FIG. 1respectively;

FIG. 2d is an enlarged view of another example of a damper portion shownin FIG. 1;

FIGS. Zfand 2g are diagrams showing the frequency characteristicsaccording to the present invention and the prior art, respectively;

FIG. 3 is a view showing another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4a is a sectional view of another embodiment showing driver meansand/or pickup means taken along line IVA-IVA shown in FIG. 3, and FIGS.4b and 4c are diagrams for illustrating the functions of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a view showing a driving device for mechan' ically actuating amechano-electrical pickup means used in the present invention;

FIGS. 6a to 6d are diagrams for explaining the operation of theinvention;

FIGS. 7 to 9 and 12 to 15 are views of modifications of FIG. 1, usingthe device shown in FIG. 5;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are views of modifications of FIG.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged perspective view showing a support for supportingan intermediate portion of a coil spring used in the invention;

FIG. 17a is a view showing an apparatus according to another embodimentof the invention;

FIGS. 17b to 17d are perspective plan and side views of an essentialportion of the embodiment shown in FIG. 17a, respectively; and

FIGS. 18a to 18d are diagrams for explaining the operation in phase ofthe apparatus shown in FIG. 170.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the description of thefollowing embodiments, same reference numerals and symbols indicate sameparts.

Now, by referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an apparatus according to anembodiment of the present invention, in which numeral 1 represents anelongated coil spring formed with minute wires made of stainless steel,bicalloy, cunife, cunico, or the like, which is magnetized throughoutthe length thereof or in an appropriate intermediate portion thereofalong its length. One end of the coil spring 1 is connected to a supportwire 3 having a pillar-shaped magnet 2 and the other is connected toanother wire 3 These support wires 3 and 3 are fixed to support plates 4and 4 mounted on a mount K, respectively, between which the coil spring1 are subjected to tension to an extent that they are not energizedagainst each other. Close to the magnet 2 a U-shaped magnet core 6around which a coil 5 is wound is arranged to position the magnet withinthe U- shape of the core, thus forming an electro-mechanical converter 7at the input side. Numeral 8 represents a damper located at the side ofthe other end of the coil spring 1, which includes, for example, asubstrate 9 and an electrically implanted pile surface formed thereon,said piles 10 being made of acrylic fibre and substantially long. Thepile surface is arranged in contact with the side of the coil spring.Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2d, the portion of the coil springlocated close to the other end may be provided, on the respective turns,with electrically implanted piles 10a formed thereon by the use of anadhesive agent in such a way that they contact with each other and thatthus they absorb substantial portion of the rotational vibrationreaching said

1. An apparatus for providing delay of an electrical signal comprisingat least one magnetized coil spring means for supporting said springunder tension at both ends thereof, electro-mechanical driver meanshaving an electrical input terminal and provided in the vicinity of oneend of said coil spring for vibrating said spring in accordance with asignal applied to said input terminal, vibration absorbing meansprovided at the side of the other end of said coil spring for preventingreflection of the vibration and at least one mechanoelectrical pickupmeans located intermediately of the length of said coil spring betweensaid ends untouchably therewith for magnetically detecting the vibrationof the spring and converting it to an electrical signal, said pickupmeans having an electrical output terminal, and means for movingreciprocally said pick-up means along the length of said coil spring tothereby produce a frequency modulated signal at the output terminal ofsaid pick-up means.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, whichcomprises a feedback circuit connected between the input terminal ofsaid driver means and the output terminal of said pickup means.
 3. Theapparatus according to claim 1, which comprises a mixing circuit forsuperposing the input signal on the frequency modulated signal derivedat the output terminal of said pickup means.
 4. The apparatus accordingto claim 1, which comprises a first and a second electro-acoustictransducers connected with said input terminal and said output terminalrespectively, said first and second transducers generating sounds fromsaid input signal and said frequency modulated signal respectively sothat said sounds are mixed.
 5. An apparatus for providing delay of anelectric signal comprising: a magnetized coil spring supported undertension at both ends thereof; electro-mechanical driving means having anelectrical input terminal and provided in the vicinity of one end ofsaid coil spring for vibrating the latter in accordance with a signalapplied to said input terminal; vibration absorbing means provided atthe side of the other end of said coil spring for preventing reflectionof the vibration; a plurality of mechano-electrical pickup means locatedintermediately of the length of said coil spring untouchably therewithfor magnetically detecting the vibration of the spring and converting itto an electrical signal, each of said pickup means having an electricaloutput terminal; and actuating means for reciprocally moving said pickupmeans along the length of the coil spring.